A wafer container includes a container body and a door. The container body has a pair of upright side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a rear wall cooperatively defining a container space with a front access opening. The door is removably engaged with the container body to close and seal the front access opening, and includes a front door panel, a rear door panel, and sealing means which is disposed at a periphery of the front door panel and configured to seal the gap between the door and the container body when the door is engaged with the container body to close the front access opening.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A wafer container comprising: a container body having a pair of upright side walls which are spaced apart from each other in a left-and-right direction, a top wall interconnecting upper ends of said side walls, a bottom wall interconnecting lower ends of said side walls, a rear wall connected to a rear end of each of said side, top and bottom walls, and a base seat disposed under said bottom wall, wherein said side, top and bottom walls together define within said container body a container space having a front access opening opposing to said rear wall; and a door removably engaged with said container body to close and to seal said front access opening, said door including a front door panel, a rear door panel, and a seal, wherein said front door panel has a front major wall having a rearwardly facing wall surface, said rear door panel has a rear major wall having a forwardly facing wall surface, and a rim flange extending forwardly from a periphery of said rear major wall, a periphery of said front door panel is larger than a periphery of said rear door panel such that an outer portion of said rearwardly facing wall surface of said front door panel is not covered by said rear door panel, said seal being disposed adjacently to said outer portion of said rearwardly facing wall surface of said front door panel or to an edge of said rim flange to seal a gap between said door and said container body when said door is engaged with said container body to close said front access opening.
2. The wafer container as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said seal includes a seal rim, said seal rim having a retained portion that is sandwiched between said rear door panel and said front door panel, and a sealing portion that extends outwardly from and surrounds said retained portion, said sealing portion being disposed between outer peripheries of said front door panel and said rear door panel so as to be in pressure contact with said container body to be tightly fitted into a clearance between said container body and said door.
3. The wafer container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said retained portion of said seal rim has a plurality of positioning bores, said rear door panel having a plurality of protrusions which are fitted in said positioning bores, respectively.
4. The wafer container as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said retained portion of said seal rim has a plurality of positioning bores, said front door panel having a plurality of protrusions which are fitted in said positioning bores, respectively.
5. The wafer container as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said side walls, said top wall, said rear wall, said bottom wall and said base seat are integrally formed with each other as a one-single piece structure.
6. The wafer container as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said front door panel has a plurality of first interlocking members, said rear door panel having a plurality of second interlocking members disposed to be snap-fitted to said first interlocking members, respectively, so as to firmly connect said front and rear door panels.
7. The wafer container as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said container body has at least one handle which is disposed on said top wall for being transported.
8. The wafer container as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said handle is integrally formed with said top wall as a one-single piece structure.
9. The wafer container as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said handle is removably attached to said top wall.
10. The wafer container as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said container body has a wafer supporting portion formed on each of said side walls, and extending toward said container space.
11. The wafer container as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said door has a wafer retaining portion integrally formed on said rear door panel.
12. The wafer container as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said seal is disposed on said rearwardly facing wall surface of said front door panel in an integral form to be matingly and sealingly engaged with said front access opening.
13. A wafer container comprising: a container body having a pair of upright side walls which are spaced apart from each other in a left-and-right direction, a top wall interconnecting upper ends of said side walls, a bottom wall interconnecting lower ends of said side walls, a rear wall connected to a rear end of each of said side, top and bottom walls, and a base seat disposed under said bottom wall, wherein said side, top and bottom walls together define within said container body a container space having a front access opening opposing to said rear wall; and a door removably engaged with said container body to close and to seal said front access opening, said door including a front door panel, a rear door panel, and a seal, wherein a periphery of said front door panel is larger than a periphery of said rear door panel, and said seal is disposed at said periphery of said front door panel and configured to seal a gap between said door and said container body when said door is engaged with said container body to close said front access opening, wherein said seal includes a seal rim, said seal rim having a retained portion that is sandwiched between said rear door panel and said front door panel, and a sealing portion that extends outwardly from and surrounds said retained portion, said sealing portion being disposed between outer peripheries of said front door panel and said rear door panel so as to be in pressure contact with said container body to be tightly fitted into a clearance between said container body and said door, and wherein said retained portion of said seal rim has a plurality of positioning bores, said rear door panel having a plurality of protrusions which are fitted in said positioning bores, respectively.
14. A wafer container comprising: a container body having a pair of upright side walls which are spaced apart from each other in a left-and-right direction, a top wall interconnecting upper ends of said side walls, a bottom wall interconnecting lower ends of said side walls, a rear wall connected to a rear end of each of said side, top and bottom walls, and a base seat disposed under said bottom wall, wherein said side, top and bottom walls together define within said container body a container space having a front access opening opposing to said rear wall; and a door removably engaged with said container body to close and to seal said front access opening, said door including a front door panel, a rear door panel, and a seal, wherein a periphery of said front door panel is larger than a periphery of said rear door panel, and said seal is disposed at said periphery of said front door panel and configured to seal a gap between said door and said container body when said door is engaged with said container body to close said front access opening, wherein said seal includes a seal rim, said seal rim having a retained portion that is sandwiched between said rear door panel and said front door panel, and a sealing portion that extends outwardly from and surrounds said retained portion, said sealing portion being disposed between outer peripheries of said front door panel and said rear door panel so as to be in pressure contact with said container body to be tightly fitted into a clearance between said container body and said door, and wherein said retained portion of said seal rim has a plurality of positioning bores, said front door panel having a plurality of protrusions which are fitted in said positioning bores, respectively.
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July 24, 2018
November 24, 2020
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